Description and Ecology of the Gopher Frog
The dusky gopher frog is a small frog with a stubby appearance endemic
to the longleaf pine ecosystem of the United States, especially in Alabama,
Mississippi, and Louisiana. The dark
patterns on the frog’s back act as a sort of fingerprint, i.e. each frog has a
different assortment of color and size of spots. Adult gopher frogs spend the majority of
their time underground in holes created by the gopher tortoise, a similarly
endangered species. While the typical
breeding season for this species is December through March, reproduction has
been observed in all months except May, June, and July when heavy rains occur. There is a large range in the number of eggs
one breeding pair can produce in one bout, anywhere from 500 to 7,000 eggs and
can take 9 to 21 days to hatch.
Geographic and Population Changes
Very few individuals have ever been observed in
Alabama and there are no known breeding sites in the state. In the early 2000s, researchers tried to find
a group of ponds that would be suitable to rebuild populations of the dusky
gopher frog, but each pond they found would not be an ideal habitat for the
frog. Woody vegetation grew throughout
the ponds and would not allow for the frogs to effectively lay their eggs.
The
last observation of the gopher frog in Louisiana occurred in 1965. Recently, however, researchers have found a
group of 5 ponds that would be suitable for translocation of the species in
order to help build up populations.
These ponds have been listed as critical habitat for the species’
eventual recovery.
In the early 20th
century, the gopher frog was reportedly common in coastal counties of
Mississippi. Since then, however,
researchers have found the majority of suitable habitats for the frogs have
been converted into agriculture, pine plantations, and urban areas.
Listing under ESA and Threats to the Species
In 2001, the dusky gopher frog was listed by the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act as an endangered
species. Current and historical threats
to the species include habit destruction and degradation, predation, and human curtailment
of naturally occurring fires.
The
range of the frog has been significantly lessened by habitat fragmentation due
to urbanization.
Predation
was likely a contributing factor in the decline of earlier populations of the
species, especially by fish and invasive fire ants.
The longleaf pine ecosystem is able
to thrive via regular natural fires that have been eliminated by recent human
intervention, thereby lowering the quality of the frogs’ habitat.
Recovery Plan
The current recovery plan is to continue to monitor and improve existing
populations and their habitat, along with creating new populations through
translocation and reintroduction.
Currently, it is impossible to give an accurate estimate for the
timeline of the recovery of this very endangered species.
What Can You Do?
If you would like to get involved in the conservation
efforts for the dusky gopher frog or other frog species, you can visit
savethefrogs.com and inform yourself and your friends about the issues
currently facing frog populations throughout the U.S.
It's horrible to think about how endangered this species is and the main reason is because of humans. Human intervention is the main cause of all of these endangered species blogs #BIO227Fall2015 - Kinser Coelho
ReplyDeleteMaybe we should consider reduction in habitat degradation and recover their habitat to original heath. This species is endemic and it is essential to conserve their native habitat instead of relocating them into foreign environments.- Michael Chourappa
ReplyDelete